Sheila writes: The cinema has always been a pioneering artform, with innovations piling upon innovations, directors and producers and artists pushing that envelope, trying to make movies better, more exciting, more appealing to more people. Enough already, right? But it's interesting to take a look back at some of the "new things" that came and went. I really enjoyed the following article on Dark Roasted Blend about the "Cinerama", seen as "next big thing": "The Cinerama technique wasn't completely new when it first appeared and a similar method had been used to film the silent epic Napoleon back in 1927. Cinerama's widescreen movies were created using three cameras at the same time. In theatres, three synchronized 35mm projectors were employed, with the images shown on three large wraparound screens, which created an illusion of a panoramic view for the members of the audience." Read the whole thing here. And a very happy New Year to all!

TRAILERS

Tim's Vermeer (2013). Directed by Teller. Synopsis: Inventor Tim Jenison seeks to understand the painting techniques used by Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer. Release dates TBD.

The Raid 2 (2014). Directed and written by Gareth Evans. Starring Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian, Raiden Integra. Synopsis: Picking up right where the first film ends, The Raid 2 follows Rama (Uwais) as he goes undercover and infiltrates the ranks of a ruthless Jakarta crime syndicate in order to protect his family and uncover the corruption in his own police force. In theaters March 28, 2014.

Draft Day (2014). Directed by Ivan Reitman. Written by Scott Rothman and Rajiv Joseph . Starring Kevin Costner, Jennifer Garner. Synopsis: The General Manager of the Cleveland Browns struggles to acquire the number one draft pick for his team. In theaters April 11, 2014.

Million Dollar Arm (2014). Directed by Craig Gillespie. Written by Thomas McCarthy . Starring Lake Bell, Jon Hamm, Bar Paly . Synopsis: A sports agent stages an unconventional recruitment strategy to get talented Asian cricket players to play Major League Baseball. In theaters Mary 16, 2014.

Sabotage (2014). *New trailer* Directed by David Ayer. Written by Ayer and Skip Woods. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Worthington, Terrence Howard . Synopsis: Members of an elite DEA task force find themselves being taken down one by one after they rob a drug cartel safe house. In theaters April 11, 2014.

Dead Snow: Red vs. Dead (2014). Directed by Tommy Wirkola. Written by Stig Frode Henriksen. Starring Martin Starr, Derek Mears, Amrita Acharia. Synopsis: If the worst day of your life consisted of accidentally killing your girlfriend with an axe, chain-sawing your own arm off, and watching in horror as your closest friends were devoured by a zombified Nazi battalion, you'd have to assume that things couldn't get much worse. In Martin's case, that was only the beginning. In theaters January 2014.

A Promise (2013). Directed by Patrice Leconte. Written by Leconte and Jérôme Tonnerre . Starring Alan Rickman, Rebecca Hall, Richard Madden. Synopsis: A romantic drama set in Germany just before WWI and centered on a married woman who falls in love with her husband's protégé. Separated first by duties and then by the war, they pledge their devotion to one another. Opens in France on April 16, 2014.

Girl on a Bicycle (2014). Directed and written by Jeremy Leven. Starring Vincenzo Amato, Nora Tschirner, Paddy Considine . Synopsis: Paolo (Vincenzo Amato), an Italian who drives a Paris tour bus, has just proposed to his true love, the German stewardess, Greta (Nora Tschirner), when the young French beauty, Cécile (Louise Monot) pulls up beside his bus on her bicycle - and, in short order, Paolo, following some very bad advice from his friend, Derek (Paddy Considine), finds himself with a German fiancée, a French "wife", two Australian children who call him "Papa", and his life upside-down. In US theaters in limited release February 14, 2014.

Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (2014). Directed and written by Stephen Chow, Chi-kin Kwok. Starring Qi Shu, Zhang Wen, Bo Huang. Synopsis: A story centered on Tang Sanzang, a Buddhist trying to protect a village from three demons, his emerging feelings for Miss Duan, the demon hunter who helps him repeatedly, and Sanzang's transformative encounter with the Monkey King. In US theaters in limited release March 7, 2014.

The Sleepwalker (2014). Directed by Mona Fastvold. Written by Fastvold and Brady Corbet. Starring Gitte Witt, Christopher Abbott, Stephanie Ellis . Synopsis: A young couple, Kaia and Andrew, are renovating Kaia's secluded family estate. Their lives are violently disrupted upon the unexpected arrival of Kaia's sister, Christine, and her fiancé, Ira. Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, January 20, 2014.

Which Movies Would Roger Choose?

Sheila writes: With all of the year-end lists on every film site, Chaz Ebert wonders, in a touching post, which films Roger would have chosen. Chaz writes, ""Which movie would Roger love beyond all reason this year? There are so many worthy candidates. I wonder which ones would have made Roger's Top Ten List. My heart aches that I will never know. There are several movies where I imagined him by my side as I watched, knowing he would have been over the moon to see them." Read the whole thing over on Chaz's blog.

Free Movies

Please Murder Me (1956). Directed by Peter Godfrey. Starring Angela Lansbury, Raymond Burr, Dick Foran . Synopsis: A lawyer suffers a guilt complex after getting a murder acquittal for his client, and then finding out she did commit the crime.

Watch "Please Murder Me".

The Basketball Fix (1951). Directed by Felix E. Feist . Starring John Ireland, Marshall Thompson, Vanessa Brown Synopsis: A college basketball star collaborrates with organized crime and becomes involved in 'point shaving.' A sportswriter tries to get him back on the right track.

Watch "The Basketball Fix".

Heaven Only Knows (1947). Directed by Albert S. Rogell. Starring Robert Cummings, Brian Donlevy, Marjorie Reynolds. Synopsis: An angel is sent to earth to help a saloon owner and gambler save his soul.